Ecclesiastes 10:11

Ecclesiastes 10:11

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9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.

10 If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom¹ brings success.

11 A serpent may bite ^awhen it is not charmed;
The¹ babbler is no different.

12 ^aThe words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But ^bthe lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.

14 ^aA fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him ^bwhat will be after him?

15 The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!

16 ^aWoe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

<< Ecclesiastes 10:10

Ecclesiastes 10:12 >>

A "serpent will bite" if "enchantment" is not used; "and a babbling calumniator is no better." Therefore, as one may escape a serpent by charms (Psalms 58:4-5), so one may escape the sting of a calumniator by discretion (Ecclesiastes 10:12), [HOLDEN]. Thus, "without enchantment" answers to "not whet the edge" (Ecclesiastes 10:10), both expressing, figuratively, want of judgment. MAURER translates, "There is no gain to the enchanter" (Margin, "master of the tongue") from his enchantments, because the serpent bites before he can use them; hence the need of continual caution. Ecclesiastes 10:8-10, caution in acting; Ecclesiastes 10:11 and following verses, caution in speaking.

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Ecclesiastes 10:11:**

Ecclesiastes 10:11
Ecclesiastes 10:12

<< Ecclesiastes 10:10

Ecclesiastes 10:12 >>

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